Tahiti and Huahine Islands

Island Watercolor:
with artist Carol Duchamp

August 7-17, 2008 (9 nights/11 days)

Class Fee and Land Cost: $3,695

Air Fare: $1,128 approx. (from LAX) $238 approx. (inter-island)
Single Supplement: $1400

Inclusive in Class Fee:
- Workshop orientation, six 3-hour watercolor painting classes, one-on-one instruction and art party

Inclusive in Land Cost:

- 9 nights luxury accommodations based on double occupancy (2 nights Tahiti Sheraton/7 nights Te Tiare Beach Resort)
- All breakfasts (continental buffet)
- Buffet dinner and Polynesian dance festivities
- Excursion to Gauguin Museum and Harrison Smith Botanical Garden on Tahiti
- Motorized outrigger canoe excursion and motu picnic on Huahine
- Bi-lingual leadership - Arrival and water-taxi transfers - Hotel & departure taxes - Planning & Operational Costs

Itinerary
The Polynesian Islands of Tahiti and Huahine are enchantment itself. Volcanic peaks rise above lush and rugged valleys; tropical fruit and flowers grow in abundance. White sand beaches, blue-green lagoons and exquisite sunsets add to our palette of colors. We journey to these islands to explore the beauty of the tropics and the watercolor phenomenon. Our painting odyssey begins on the island of Tahiti, a majestic setting for tropical flora and colorful varieties of hybrid hibiscus. On Tahiti we visit the extensive Botanical Garden and the adjacent Gauguin Museum. We take 'le truck' into town and browse the Papeete flower and black pearl markets. Enjoy a fresh fish grill at the port in downtown Papeete as the Polynesians do.

Often called the garden isle, Huahine is home to fascinating archaeological sites and retains the best of old Polynesia. Enjoy the slower pace of island life, gardens full of exotic blooms, luxury Tahitian style bungalows and a journey back in time! Everywhere we immerse ourselves in floral scents that permeate the air as we paint gardenia, hibiscus, ginger, swaying coconut palms, turquoise lagoons and lush tropical foliage. Enjoy all the pleasures of island life - swim, snorkel, paddle outrigger canoes and kayaks and relax in this little bit of paradise. Superb snorkeling and white sand beach just steps from your bungalow. Day 1, Depart Los Angeles or JFK on Air Tahiti Nui, arrive Tahiti and transfer to the Sheraton; Day 2, Tahiti (cultural sightseeing/market, marae, fern grotto, botanical garden, Gauguin Museum); Day 3-9, Huahine (painting classes/swimming, snorkeling, kayak, outrigger canoes, motu picnic, pearl farm); Day 10, late afternoon flight from Huahine to Tahiti to connect with evening flight to LAX or JFK; Day 11 Arrrive Los Angeles or JFK in the morning.

Classes
This watercolor painting class is ideal for artists and non-artists alike. Whether your work moves in a realistic or abstract direction, class methods for evoking the transparent magic of watercolor will be appreciated. Using a full range of wet-into-wet watercolor painting techniques, we will explore the dialogue between artist, water and pigment.

Class demonstration and discussion will include wetting the paper, color flooding and gradation, brushwork, atmospheric effects, compositional energy, edge tinting, textural elegance and the use of watercolor crayon. Innovative methods will build self-confidence and maximize the spontaneity inherent in all forms of watercolor painting. From the moment we wet our paper to the final sweep of form and color, we will attempt to evoke the presence of each artist in his or her work, discovering the personal palette of colors, shapes and subject matter unique to each of us. Discover the poetic nature of watercolor while painting the exotic flowers, swaying palms and turquoise lagoons of French Polynesia. All levels of skill are welcome. Friends, spouses and family members of workshop participants receive a land cost discount of $200.

Instructor
CAROL DUCHAMP, BA, Otterbein College, Ohio, M.A., University of Strasbourg, France, has been leading outdoor painting classes in the U.S. and abroad for 20 years. Her teaching style encourages experimentation and self-discovery in a supportive environment that nourishes the intuitive power of self-expression. Her watercolors are rich in color, lushly saturated and sensual in form and have been described as 'cosmic, flowing and full of light." She has been showing her watercolors in and around the San Francisco Bay area for more than 10 years at Commonweal, the Bolinas Museum and Café Trieste among other locations. Carol teaches watercolor at her studio in West Marin and for UC Santa Cruz Extension in Cupertino, City College of San Francisco Fort Mason and Art Trek. You may view selections of her paintings on the Duchamp painting gallery page of this website.

To enroll in the Island Watercolor Tahiti & Huahine class, simply mail a deposit check made payable to Art Trek in the amount of $1200 to the address below with a note containing class name/date, your address, phone number, email and skill level or a printed copy of the reservation form that appears under reservations on this website. Questions? Call 415 868 9558. Mail to Carol Duchamp, Art Trek, P.O. Box 1103, Bolinas, CA 94924. Email carol@arttreks.com. You will receive a confirmation packet and detailed pre-departure information.

Susan Bridges-Smith is an art teacher from South Carolina who paints primarily in oils. She had little experience with watercolor and no experience with wet-into-wet watercolor techniques when she joined our August 9-19, 2007 Island Watercolor Class to Tahiti & Huahine Islands in French Polynesia. The following photos reflect the amazing progress she made with watercolor.

"Carol, Thank you for a fabulous painting trip to Huahine. Painting in such an exotic, remote place is truly a vacation that I can get used to. Traveling to Tuscany and then to French Polynesia with Art Trek is an upscale and inspiring experience. I would recomment Art Trek to any artist without hesitation. Thank you for the valuable instructions, memories, techniques and friendships." Susan (August 2007 Island Watercolor, Tahiti & Huahine Islands, French Polynesia)

Tahiti & the Marquesas Islands

Chasing Gauguin
Island Watercolor
with artist Carol Duchamp

Dates: tba

Aranui III Inter-Marquesas Cruise Dates: tba (6-nights/ 7days)

Class Fee and Land Cost : tba
Air Fare: tba (international LAX or JFK-PPT/inter-island PPT-Marquesas)

Single Supplement: tba

Inclusive in Class Fee:
- workshop orientation, 6 watercolor painting classes, one-on-one instruction and art party

Inclusive in Land Cost:
- 5 nights lodging with breakfast (double occupancy) / 2 Tahiti Sheraton and 3 Atuona, Hiva Oa
- Excursion to Gauguin Museum and the Musée de Tahiti et des Isles on Tahiti
- 6 nights lodging on Aranui III Cruise Freighter (all meals)
- Shore excursions on the Islands of Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva, Tahuata, Ua Huka and Nuku Hiva
- Bi-lingual leadership

Note: This course will operate with a minimum of 7 students. Please contact Carol Duchamp at Art Trek if you are interested. Once class participants are confirmed, we will select suitable dates.

Itinerary

Designed for the artist with a sense of adventure, this watercolor painting and journaling class offers painting inspiration and a glimpse of the contemporary crossroads between a remote culture and the modern world. We begin our trip with an introduction to Polynesian cultural with a visit to the Musée de Tahiti et des Isles and the Gauguin Museum on Tahiti. Our 3 1/2 hour flight from Papeete, Tahiti to Atuona, Hiva Oa takes us to the village where Paul Gauguin is buried. Here we ground ourselves in the Marquesas, view copies of many of Gauguin's paintings and enjoy a class in the breezy replica of Gauguin's studio bungalow in the Marquesas. The best way to explore the raw beauty of the Marquesas Islands is by comfortable cruise freighter. Rugged volcanic peaks, picturesque villages, artisans, and mysterious stone tikis await those who venture onto the five remote islands we circumnavigate. Prepare for your trip by reading Herman Melville, Jack London, Robert Lewis Stevenson and Thor Heyerdahl - all of whom spent time in the Marquesas. We will visit charming Marquesan villages; view archeological sites, local crafts and village museums; and participate in a new eco-tourism venture that brings economic well-being to these islands. Lavish on shore Polynesian buffet lunches add local specialities to our diet including lobster, river shrimp, breadfruit, coconut delicacies and tapioca deserts. Enjoy lush tropical vegetation by day and southern skies by night. Discover the intoxicating beauty of these tropical islands on a working cruise freighter that links time past with time present. This is an unforgettable South Pacific adventure! Friends, spouses and family members of workshop participants are welcome!

Day 1, Depart Los Angeles or JFK/Arrive Papeete, Tahiti (overnight Tahiti Sheraton); Day 2, Tahiti - Excursion to Gauguin Museum and Musée de Tahiti et des Isles; Day 3-5, Atuona, Hiva Oa - Explore and paint in the village where Paul Gauguin spent the last two years of his life; Day 6-11, Board the Aranui III cruise freighter and debark for shore excursions and painting classes on Fatu Hiva, Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Ua Huka and Nuku Hiva; Day 12, Fly from Nuku Hiva to Papeete and board an evening flight to LAX or JFK; Day 13, Morning arrival in LAX or JFK.

Classes

Six watercolor painting and journaling classes will be held in the Marquesas during our stay in Atuona, Hiva and during excursions interwoven with the Aranui III ship activities. These classes create the groundwork for further painting and watercolor sketching on one's own. A non-traditional approach to small format watercolors will be explored. Students will experiment wet-into-wet watercolor techniques that build confidence and nurture self-expression. We will use Paul Gauguin's journal Noa Noa (the word for fragrance in Tahitian) and the copies of his paintings on view in Atuona for additional inspiration. Enjoy the sea breeze from the top floor of Gauguin's reconstructed bungalow where we will hold one of our painting classes. On going sharing and discussion of our paintings and journal work will take place in an ambiance of camaraderie among artists.

Class demonstration and discussion will include wetting the paper, color flooding and gradation, brushwork, atmospheric effects, compositional energy, edge tinting, textural elegance and the use ink and watercolor crayon. Artists will be encouraged to keep a small illustrated journal of our Chasing Gauguin journey.

Instructor

See bio above. This will be Carol Duchamp's fourth trip to the Marquesas, her second on the Aranui III.

To enroll in the Marquesas Islands Watercolor Journaling class, simply mail a deposit check made payable to Art Trek in the amount of $1200 to the address below with a note containing class name/date, your address, phone number, email and skill level or a printed copy of the reservation form that appears under reservations on this website. Questions? Call 415 868 9558. Mail to Carol Duchamp, Art Trek, P.O. Box 1103, Bolinas, CA 94924. Email carol@arttreks.com. You will receive a confirmation packet and detailed pre-departure information.